Spray forming and air conditioning device



Feb. 20,1934. R. PAYNE ET AL I 1,943,278

SPRAY FORMING AND AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1933 amen WRaymond L .pay/ye. 6/622 5. Mar/ta.

Patented Feb. 20, 1934 PATENT: orrlcr.

SPRAY FORMING AND AIR CONDITIONING DEVICE Raymond L. Payne and Glen E.Marie Denver, Colo.

Application February 20, 1933. Serial No. 657,506

10 Claims. (Cl, 261-432) This invention relates to improvements in airconditioners and humidifiers of the type employed in connection withheating and ventilating systems.

In our copending application, Serial No. 604,714, filed April 12, 1932,for which this application is a continuation in part, we have shown anddescribed a device of a similar nature and this invention shows, inaddition to the invention illustrated and described in the applicationabove identified, a modified form.

In the heating and ventilating of buildings it is customary to conditionthe air by increasing its humidity to a certain desired point, and thisis accomplished by means which provides a spray through which the air ispassed.

It is also customary to condition the air in summer for the purpose ofreducing its temperature and the device which forms the subject 01. thisinvention can also be used for this purpose.

In bakeries and other places where a high degree of humidity isdesirable, it is necessary to employ an air conditioning device whichmay be placed in the room and disassociated from the heating andventilating system or associated with the latter as may be desired.

It is the object of this invention to produce a simple and substantialdevice of the class described, which shall be so constructed that itwill form a very fine spray or mist through which the air may pass so asto increase its humidity to any desired point.

Another object of this invention is to produce a device that shalloperate with a minimum amount of energy and therefore at a minimum cost.

A further object of this invention is to produce a device which shalldispense with the use of pumps for producing the spray and which willalso dispense with the use of spray devices having small openings thatare liable to stop up due to accumulation of dirt and chemicals.

Another object of this invention is to produce a device of the classdescribed which shall be provided with means for reducing the noise ofoperation to a minimum.

A still further object of this invention is to produce a device of suchconstruction that a spray of sufiicient magnitude and fineness can beproduced for completely saturating the air or gases.

Although this invention is intended primarily for the purpose ofconditioning air for ventilating and heating purposes, it can also beemployed for wash'ng gases, for removing solubles therefrom, and for anysimilar purpose.

The above and other objects which may appear as this descriptionproceeds are attained by a construction which, brieflydescribed,consists of a trough or narrow tank which is adapted to receive a supplyof water or other liquid and in which a disk or wheel extends. This diskor wheel is rotated at such a speed that any liquid adhering to itssurface will be thrown oil by centrifugal force so as to produce aspray, means is provided for admitting water into the trough at such arate that when the disk is turning, the level of the water in the troughwill be reduced to such an extent that it will extend only a slightdistance upwardly on the periphery of the disk and the friction betweenthe sides of the disk and the water will thereby be decreased to a mini-Having thus briefly described the invention and its objects, the samewill now be described in detail, and for this purpose reference will behad to the accompanying drawing in which the preferred embodimentthereof has been illustrated, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the improved mechanismthat forms the subject of this invention;

Fig; 2 is a section taken on line 2--2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4, Fig. 2, and shows therelationship of the trough, the wheel and the tube through which thewater is introduced and discharged against the surface of the wheel; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing a slightly modified form of wheel from thatillustrated in Fig. 4.

In the drawing reference numeral 1 indicates the floor or other surfaceon which the apparatus is supported and 2 represents the jacket of afurnace to which the device is connected. The humidifying andconditioning device consists of a. tank or pan having a bottom 3 andwalls 4 and sides 5. The tank is preferably provided with a supply pipehaving a control valve 7 through which the water is admitted and thelevel of the water is maintained at the height desired by means of anoverflow pipe 6. the top of which determines the normal water levelinthe tank. Resting on suitable supports 8 are one or more troughs 9 whichare of the general shape shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Mounted for ro-= tationabove the troughs is a shaft 1Q. This shaft is preferably directlyconnected with a motor l1 and has secured to it wheels or disks 12,there being one wheel or disk for each trough. In the form illustratedin Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the wheel secured to shaft 10 is provided with aV-shaped rim 13 which is perforated as indicated by reference numerals14. The wheel itself is preferably made from sheet metal and secured tothe hub 15 as shown inFig. 4. EX- tending through an opening in the wallof the trough is a tube 16 which terminates close to the surface of thewheel and since this tube is located below the normal water level in thetank, water will flow through this tube and be discharged against thesurface of the wheel from which it will flow into the concave innersurface of the rim whereit will be thrown outwardly by centrifugal forceand will pass through the openings 14 and be transformed into a spray.The tube 16 is provided with a valve member 17 that can be adjusted soas to regulate the amount of water flowing through the tube and for themost economical operation this is adjusted so that the rate at which thewater is admitted is slightly less than the rate at which it is removedfrom the trough by the action of the wheel, andin this manner the waterlevel in the trough will be maintained, just slightly above the apex ofthe rim and the friction that would result from the contact of therotating wheel' with the Water, will be reduced to a minimum. Byremoving the water almost completely from the trough during operation,the amount of energy necessary for operating the device is reduced to aminimum, as the only friction to be overcome is that of the bearings andthe very small friction between the water and the edge of the rim.

' In some cases it is desirable to cover the upper surface of the wheelwith a wire screen 18 whose function is to' breakup the water particlesand to increase the fineness of the mist or spray produced.

When the device is employed for conditioning air for a hot air heatingsystem, as shown in Fig. 1, the upper surface of the tank is enclosed bya housing 19, through which the air may pass. Interposed between thesprays and the jacket of the furnace is a moisture eliminating devicewhich'has been indicated in its entirety in Fig. 1 by reference numeral20. The moisture eliminator is shown in horizontal section in Fig. 3,from which it will be seen that it consists of a plurality of zig zagplates 21 arranged in parallel relation. At the discharge ends eachplate is provided with. a hook 22 whose function is to catch themoisture particles and perrnit them to return to the tank. I

The other end of the housing is connected by means of a flexibleconnector 23, which may be made of canvas or similar material, with thedischarge port 24 of a rotary fan whose housing has been indicated byreference numeral 25.

A motor 26 is connected. to the fan by means of a belt 27 or may bedirectly coupled thereto. Numeral 28 designates a return flue throughwhich the cool air returns from the rooms and is recirculated for thepurpose of reheating. When the device is used in bakeries or otherplaces where humidity is to be maintained-in the absence of the heatingsystem, the housing may be dispensed with and the finemist throwndirectly into the air of the room and the mist air will be distributedby the natural currents present.

In Fig. 5 a slightly modified form of wheel has been shown in which acenter disk 34 is provided on opposite sides with frusto-oonicalsurfaces 35 which are perforated as indicated by 7,, reference numeral36. Water is introduced into attained and where a large volume of air isto the interior of this rotating wheel by means of tubes 16 in a mannersimilar to that shown in Fig. 4. The form of device shown in Fig. 5 isdesirable where complete saturation is to be be'treated.

Attention is called to the fact that the edge of the disk 34 projectsoutwardly beyond the surfaces of the frusto-conical rims and the edge ofthe-disk serves to remove the water from the trough so as to reduce thefriction.

We are aware that troughs have been shown in combination with rotatingdisks, but in some instances these troughs are made of wire screen andare located underneath the liquid level and their function is merely tolimit the disturbance of the water and'they do not serve to reduce thefriction in the same'manner as in this device. In other cases where,troughs are employed, the wheel associated with the trough eitherrotates so slowly that the liquid level is not decreased, or else thewater is introduced into the trough at such a rate that the levelremains substantially constant and the decrease in the frictionalresistance which is attained by means of the construction and therelationship of the parts shown in the drawing and description herein isnot attained.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is? 1. Ahumidifier and air conditioner comprising, in combination, a pan"adapted to contain water, a housing for the top of the pan, a troughextending transversely of the pan, a shaft extending across the troughand mounted for rotation, a water distributing wheel secured to theshaft to rotate therewith and extending into the trough,

said wheel having a hollow rim provided with openings, "and means fordelivering water from the pan to the inside of the rim whereby when thewheel is rotated, the water will be moved against the inside of the rimand forced through the openings therein by the action of the centrifugalforce.

2. A humidifier and air conditioner comprlsing, in combination, a panadapted to contain water, means for maintaining the water atapredetermined level, a housing enclosing the top of the pan, means forproducing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in thepan, a shaft located above the trough, said shaft being mounted forrotation, a water distributing wheel secured to the shaft and projectinginto the trough, the wheel having a hollow rim provided with openings,and a tube extending through the wall of the trough and terminatingwithin the hollow rim at a pointbetween the shaft and the .means formaintaining the water at a predetermined level, a housing enclosing thetop ofthe pan; means for producing a flow of air through the housing, atrough located in the pan, a shaft located above the trough andextending across the same, said shaft being mounted for rotation,

a water distributing wheel secured to the shaft and projecting into thetrough, the wheel having 5 end of the housing for separating the waterparticles from the air.

4. A humidifier and air conditioner comprising, in combination, a panadapted to contain water, means for maintaining the water at apredetermined level, a. housing enclosing the top of the pan, means forproducing a flow of air through the housing,.a trough located in thepan, a shaft located above the trough and extending across the same,said shaft'being mounted for rotation,.a

, water distributing wheel secured to the shaft and projecting into thetrough, thewheel having a hollow rim provided with openings, a tubeextending through the wall of the trough and terminating within thehollow rim at a point between the shaft and the inside of the rim fortransferring water from the pan to the inside of the rim, whereby whenthe wheel rotates the water will be moved against the inside of the rimand forced outwardly therethrough by the action of the centrifugalforce, thereby producing a spray that extends transversely of thehousing, a water separating device at the discharge end of the housingfor separating the water particles from the air, and a screensurrounding the wheel for breaking up the large particles of water thatare thrown off by the wheel.

5. A device for producing a water spray-comprising, a tank adapted tocontain water, a housing enclosing the top of the tank, means forproducing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in thetank, a shaft located above the trough and mounted for rotation, a wheelsecured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, the wheel having ahollow rim provided with openings, means for rotating the shaft andwheel, and

means for delivering water to the inside of the rim whereby it will beforced against the inside of the rim and out through the openingstherein when the wheel turns.

' 6. A device for producing a water spray comprising, a tank adapted .tocontain water, a housing enclosing the top of the tank, means forproducing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in thetank, a shaft located above the trough and mounted for rotation, a wheelsecured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, the wheel having ahollow rim provided with open ings, means for rotating the shaft andwheel, means for delivering water to the inside surface of the rimwhereby it willbe forced against the inside of the rim and out throughthe openings therein when the wheel turns, and means at the delivery endof the housing for separating water particles from the air streamandreturning them to the tank.

7. A device for producing a water spray comprising, a tank adapted tocontain water, a housing enclosing the top of the tank, means forproducing a flow of air through the housing, a trough located in thetank, a shaft located above the trough and mounted for rotation, a wheelsecured to the shaft and projecing into the trough, the wheel having ahollow rim provided with openings, means for rotating the shaftandwheel, means for delivering water to the inside of the rim whereby itwill be forced against the inside of the rim and out throughthe openingtherein when the wheel turns, and means at the delivery end of thehousing for separating water particles from the air stream and returningthem to the tank, said water separating means comprising a plurality ofvertical,-spaced plates of zig zag cross section and held in spacedparallel position by means of a frame.

8. A humidifier and air conditioner, comprising, in combination, a panadapted to contain water, a trough located in the pan-with its bottombelow the normal liquid level in the pan, a shaft located above thetrough and mounted for rotation, a water distributing wheel secured tothe shaft to rotate therewith, the lower edge of the wheel extendinginto the trough, the wheel having a hollow rfmprovided with openings,and means for delivering water from the pan to the inside of the rimwhereby when the wheel is rotated, the water will move against theinside of the rim and be forced through the openings therein by theaction of centrifugal force.

9. A humidifier and air conditioner comprising, in combination, a panadapted to contain water, means for maintaining the water at apredetermined level, a trough located in the pan, a shaft located abovethe trough, said shaft being mounted for rotation, a water distributingwheel secured to the shaft and projecting into the trough, the wheelhaving a hollow rim provided with openings, andv a tube extendingthrough the wall of the trough and terminating within the hollow rim fortransferring water from the pan to the inside of the rim whereby whenthe wheel rotates, the water will be moved against the inside vof therim and forced outwardly through the openings therein by the action ofcentrifugal force.

10. A device for producing a water spray com- RAYMOND Li PAYNE. GLEN E.MARICA.-

.prising, a-tank adapted .to'contain; water, a

CERTIFICATE or CORRECTION.

February 20, 1954.

.Patent No. 1,348,278

It is hereby certified that error appears in-the above numbered patentrequiring correction as follows 11g; Figure 4 should appear as 'showhbelow instead of Figure 6 as shown in the present drawing of the patent.

In the drawi and that the said. Letters Patent should be read mnthiscommon, therein that the same may conform to the record 'ofthe case inthe Patent Office.

sm ae d sealed this 3rd dayof A ril; 1934.

EM. Hooking Acting Qommi-s eioner of fatente.

Q (Seal) I

